Ore-distributing car.



No. 804,870. PATBNTED NOV. 2l, 1905. R. S. MOORE.

ORE DISTRIBUTING GAR.

APPLIOATION FILED JAN. so. 1905.

2 SHBBTSFSHEBT 1.

fnl/@Umd 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

PATENTED NOV. 2l, 1905.

R. S. MOORE.

ORE DISTRIBUTING OAR.

APPLIoATIoN FILED JAN so, 1905 UNTEI) STATES PATENT OFFICE,

RALPH S. MOORE, OF PORTSMOUTH, OHIO.

ORE-DISTRIBUTING CAR.

Specification of' Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 21, 1905.

Application led January 30, 1905. Serial No. 243,314.

the art, the major part of the work of bedding ores-such as copper, silver, &c.'-has heretofore been done by manual labor with shovels and wheelbarrows. Such process manifestly involves many objections when compared with suitable mechanical means and the obj ect and aim of my present invention is to rovide a means of this nature that can be su stituted for those now in use and shall automatically serve all the functions of prevailing methods without undue original or o erative cost. I accomplish this object by t e device shown in the several drawings referred to and which I shall now proceed to explain with particularity.

In said drawings similar parts are in such case denoted by the same letters or numerals.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my car containing a artial view of the floor pertaining thereto, t e side of the car being represented as broken for the purpose. The car itself is shown as already filled with the ore it is to distribute, and is supposed to be moving in Y this instance along and above a trench in the process of distributing its contents therein as the bed. Fig. 2 is a plan view of said car with several of the cross or segmental members making up the floor cut away to display the trolley art beneath. Fig. 3 is an end view in the irection of the arrow in Fig. 1 of the car in operative position above an orereceiving trench or bed, the left-hand half of the view being a vertical section to that extent through the line x y of Fig. 1 and the right-hand half being the end of the car intact. Fig. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional mounted on wheels 8 8. The latter, as shown in the drawings, ride on rails 1 1, severally located on the opposite sides of the ore beds or trenches, as indicated by B, so that when ready for operation the car D will straddle such beds and be in position to be moved along and at the same time to dump immediately into the same throughout its extent. The wheels 8 8, as illustrated, are adapted to be driven by a centrally-located motor 14, having shafts 15 on each side, provided with pinions 16, that mesh in gearwheels 17, suitably related to the wheels 8, through the axles 9 9. In case the car is to be employed for the loading-trenches it will be manifest that its width should substantially correspond with that of such trenches.

Interiorly along each side of the car D are horizontally-extending rails 4 4 for the purpose of carrying the segmental floor, hereinafter explained, and below said rails are similar rails 6 6 for the purpose of carrying the trolley Tr. This latter is made up of a frame composed of parallel vertical beams 10 and 11 and the traveling wheels 12 and 13, which are keyed, the former to the cross-,shaft 18 and the latter to a short shaft 19, which revolves in bearings on said frame provided for the purpose. Also mounted on said frame between the beams 10 and 11 is a shaft 20, that carries a double wheel provided with a sprocket 21 and 21 on the same hub and bearing the continuous link chain 22. A sprocket-wheel 23 of the same diameter and in line with the latter of said sprockets is loosely mounted on the shaft 19, and in line one with. the other within said trolley-frame the sprocket-Wheels 24, 21, and 28 are respectively keyed to the shafts 19, 20, and 18. Also in line with the wheels 24, 21, and 28 are the sprocket-wheels 25, 26, 27, and 28, the wheels 25 and 26 having their shafts in bearings supported by longitudinal crossbeams 7 7 and the wheels 28 being mounted on a shaft that is supported by the main girder of the car. The shafts of the wheels 27 are carried in adjustable lengths regulated by hand-wheel 29 and screw-rod 30 in order that the chain surrounding the same, which is .indicated by the dot-and-dash line 2, may thereby be kept taut.

by the wheels 25 on the shaft 31 and imparts its motion to the wheels 26, 27, and 28, by which it'is supported.

IOO

Said chain is driven 32 and 32" indicate right and left hand worm-wheels that are mounted on shaft 31. They are controlled by clutches (marked 33 and 33') and are severally driven by the bevel- Wheel shafts and worms 34 and 34', which are in turn driven by the shaft 1.5, to which they are assumed to be keyed at the points 35 and 35.

Said car is provided with a segmental floor made up of independent and freely-detachable cross members of any appropriate character. In the drawings I have chosen a series of contiguous and parallel gas-pipes 3 3, Whose ends rest loosely upon the rails 4 4. A flexible leather tongue may be attached with advantage to side plate 36, as indicated by 36', to prevent the escape or leakage of the ore from and between the cars side and the floor.

37 is a wedge-shaped piece linked to the trolley Tr and extending inwardly above the rails 4 4. Its office will later be made plain.

Having thus pointed out a specific form of mysaid ore-distributing car, its mode of opera-` tion will be apparent. It may be load ed byl hand or by machinery actuated, it may be, by and in unison with the movement of the car itself.v In any method of loading employed the greatest efficiency will be insured by first building up within the floor-space of the car a series of superimposed uniformlycommingled strata of ore to a depth that corresponds with the dimensions of the ore-bed to be served and thereafter causing the car to traverse above and along such bed at a rate that is in proportion to that of the flow or escape of the load, as Will be hereinafter explained. However the ore is laid in the car D, When the loading is completed the car is driven along and above the bed or other ore-receiving space, whereupon the operator having previously disengaged the clutch 33 throws in the clutch 33', which will cause the chain 2 to travel in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 1, and the sprocket- Wheels 24 and 28 to thereby be revolved. By reason of their before-described connections the wheels 12 and 13 will also be revolved, which in turn will impel the trolley T1' forward toward the segmental floor and the wedge 37 to be successively projected beneath the several pipe members constituting such floor. Said wedge from merely resisting in its static position the tendency of such members under the pressure of the load to separate from each other indiscriminately when now in action insures their escape in succession and one at a time, and also by giving the outer segmental members for the time being a slightly-vertical movement causes a constant agitation of the ore at the discharging edge that loosens the same and breaks up any sticking at such points. As each front member in turn rolls up and over the Wedge 37 it is received upon the chain 2 through the double sprockets 2l and 23, will carry the same forward until it is deposited upon the rails 4 ahead. It will -be seen that as each segment is thus raised and escapes from its contact relations with the others the cross-layer of ore it sustains must fall, and impinging against the chute 38, that projects from beneath the trolley T1', be deflected below, so that as said trolley advances a constant and even flow of material must ensue. lnasmuch as the trolley is geared directly to the driving mechanism of the car the burden of the latter Will be discharged and distributed over the entire length of the ore bed or space at each trip.

Although in thus illustrating my invention, as required, by a concrete mechanical construction, except as specifically claimed l do not wish the same to beheld down to such construction. It is plain that the form of car with respect to its general principle, as well as many of the details of the particular apparatus shown, may be departed from or varied without departing from the invention in the wider interpretation to which it is susceptible. The method or particular manner in which the floor itself is constructed, for instance, may vary from that shown, as byhaving its sections adapted to be folded or Withdrawn back one beneath the other or in other manner to accomplish the functions of allowing successive cross-sections of the fioor to yield beneath their loads. y

What l do claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In an ore-distributing car the combination of a floor made up of movable sections, and suitable means for, successively separating the same one from the other beneath their load, from one end of said floor, substantially as shown and described.

2. In an ore-distributing car the combination of a floor made up of movable segments or sections, and suitable means for automatically separating the same, one from the other from beneath their load, in succession, from one end of said floor to the other, substantially as shown and described.

3. In an ore-distributing car, .provided with a floor made up of movable segments or sections, the combination of suitable means for, successively, separating the same one from the other from beneath their load from one end of siaid floor to the other, simultaneously with the travel of said car along and above the place for deposit of its load and at a rate proportioned to the distance to be traveled, substantially as shown and described..

4. In an ore distributing car, provided with a floor made up of movable segments or sections, the combination of suitable means for automatically separating the same, one from the other from beneath their load, in succession, from one end of said ioor-to the the moving chain 22, which, being driven by IOO ISO

at the same time, and at a proportionate rate v for actuating said trolley along said rails, together With suitable means for successively separating said members, one from the other, during said travel along said bed or space, substantially as shown and described.

6. In combination with an ore-distributing car, a floor thereof made up of aseries of pipe members, crosswise of the same freely mounted upon longitudinal bearings or rails extending beyond said floor, substantially as shown and described.

7. In a distributing-car for mixing and bedding ores, the combination of a segmental Hoor, and suitable means for automatically separating the several segmental members thereof, one from the other, in succession from the advancing end of said floor, substantially as shown and described.

8. In a distributing-car for mixing and bedding ores, the combination of'a segmental floor, and suitable means for propelling said car, and, for meanwhile successively separating the several segmental members of said Hoor, one from the other, in succession from the advancing end of the same, substantially as shown and described.

RALPH S. MOORE.

In presence of- Jnssn I). HALE, C. A. MoNTRoss. 

